Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Seems like a slowly growing consensus in terms of a 'thumbs-down' for the DSP-1 bottling. Probably a good idea to secure a few 354s while they still exist on the shelf...won't be long, they'll be long gone. If the trend continues, it does not bode well for the new product...sad to hear...but probably too early to make a judgment.

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Originally Posted by squire

I wonder if HH might be pushing the envelope a bit with recent bottlings. Just a few years ago before this new age of rye consciousness Ritt was bargain priced and in plentiful supply. Methinks it might have had a bit more barrel aging than this new version.

It's always around these parts (Atlanta). Round $20

"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero"
T. Durden

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

I finally procured a bottle myself and there is a definable difference,overly notable no but the DSP-1 is a little more rye forward.The 354 and 1 are both very solid pours in the category and will continue to carry on the tradition rather well,at least to my tastes.

"To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human."
Larry Wachowski​

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Ditto. I've done several SBS, and lean towards the new stuff (and am SO thankful), although the 354 isn't hard to find . . . for now

Gary (aka 'Country')=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough." - Mark Twain
"Because Whiskey Matters!" - David Perkins

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Originally Posted by MyOldKyDram

Dunno, everything early on was really positive.

This is interesting. I took note that the early reviews indicated little or no change due to the switchover. The more recent reviews, for better or worse, seem to say that there is a noticeable difference.

Is it possible that the day the label changed on the production line wasn't exactly the same day that the source whiskey changed? We've heard before about producers using up old labels on newer stock. Perhaps the opposite happened in this case.

Re: DSP 354 vs DSP 1 Rittenhouse - How's the new stuff?

Originally Posted by Smithford

This is interesting. I took note that the early reviews indicated little or no change due to the switchover. The more recent reviews, for better or worse, seem to say that there is a noticeable difference.

Is it possible that the day the label changed on the production line wasn't exactly the same day that the source whiskey changed? We've heard before about producers using up old labels on newer stock. Perhaps the opposite happened in this case.

I don't know, there was a couple-month gap in supply, which I attributed to the switchover.

As far as the differences go, they are minimal. Blind-tasted I can tell them apart but I don't really like one better than the other. DSP-1 tastes a little wilder, with a little more of that Heaven Hill funkiness that we taste in their young BIBs. I also find it to be less earthy than the DSP-354s. (some more than others; one I had reminded me of a freshly plowed field in the spring).

YMMV of course but my personal opinion is that there were bigger variations between various bottles of DSP-354 than there are between the DSP-1 and the DSP-354 that I have open at the moment. That said I can also understand why there are people who like the older stuff better.